The Onset of World War (Routledge Revivals)

First published in 1988, this title defines systemic world wars as conflicts of wide scope and intensity, which leave profound historical legacies in their wake. Midlarsky develops his basic theory of systemic war, outlining reasons for the absence of wars of this magnitude and describing the violations of certain structural conditions that are associated with the onset of world war. A timely and relevant reissue, this insightful analysis will be of particular value to those interested in International Relations, War and Peace Studies, Military History, and Security Studies.

Manus I. Midlarsky

List of Tables, List of Figures, Acknowledgments, 1. Introduction, 2. A Hierarchical Equilibrium, 3. The Long-Run Instability of Multipolar Systems, 4. A Distribution of Extreme Inequality, 5. Conflict Overlap in Systemic Wars, 6. The Balance of Power, Preponderance, and the Onset of War in Polarized Settings, 7. Structural and Mobilization Wars, 8. A Comparison between Two Systemic Wars, 9. Alliance Durability, 10. Normative Justifications, 11. Conclusion: International Structure as an Information System, Mathematical Appendix A, Mathematical Appendix B, Tabular Appendix A, Tabular Appendix B, Tabular Appendix C, Bibliography, About the Author, Index